Denver Nuggets / NBA

Nuggets' Martin steps into role of leadership

After the Carmelo Anthony trade, Kenyon Martin, above, is the unquestioned leader of the team that is 14-4 since sending its star to New York.
(Karl Gehring, The Denver Post
)

LOS ANGELES — Kenyon Martin is the type of competitor who, perturbed by a controversial Scrabble move, would push you to the ground and bark: "ZIPPY isn't a word!"

It is this unwavering passion that has fueled the Nuggets since the big Carmelo Anthony trade.

"From the very beginning, he believed in this team maybe as much as I did," Nuggets coach George Karl said.

The scene remains in the minds of many Nuggets: On the day of the Feb. 21 trade with New York, some guys watched ESPN in the locker room, when a commentator said the Nuggets would be the "Cavaliers of the Western Conference," after trading Anthony and Chauncey Billups.

"That's just a slap in my face. I take it personally," said Martin, re-telling the message he had shared with his teammates. "I've been around this game, I know how to play, I'm a winner. Melo is a great player, I'm not taking that from him, but Melo didn't make this team.

"I mean that in no disrespectful way whatsoever. But it's a team. It's not tennis, it's not golf, it's not an individual sport. He's a great talent and is going to be around this league for a long time. But I have pride, and guys on this team have pride."

With his glare that makes tall men short, with his brawn that makes power forwards ache and a voice that makes teammates listen, the Nuggets' last remaining captain (with Melo and Billups gone) has been the heartbeat of this defensive-minded and tough-minded team.

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Denver is 14-4 since the trade and has allowed just 95.1 points per game, compared with 105.2 before the trade. And today, Martin will be ubiquitous on defense, guarding everyone from Pau Gasol to Lamar Odom to Kobe Bryant in a litmus test at the Staples Center against the Los Angeles Lakers, the hottest team in the Western Conference.

"He brings credibility," Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt said. "And he impacts the game defensively, immediately. We trust him quarterbacking our defense. It's easy to lead when you're relevant. We give him a lot of tough assignments, and he steps up to it. He never backs down from it. I know the other guys respect that."

Martin is a motor mouth. He talks and talks and talks — to teammates, coaches, refs, fans, media, buddies (refs, did we mention refs?) — all with the seriousness of a school principal.

"When he talks," new teammate Wilson Chandler said, "you can hear him. He's a vocal leader — and he does the things he talks about.

"There are guys (in the NBA) who are on you about defense, but then they're not playing defense. He's one of those guys who plays hard on both ends of the court."

Martin prides himself on his leadership, describing it as something he has earned. Hunt said there was a "dog-days practice," in which Martin brought the team together and, simply and bluntly, said, "Let's get better today. And we got better that day. The guys went with his lead."

Martin enjoys giving pointers in film sessions, reminding the younger guys about dress codes at events or even just talking to teammates about personal problems. Sure, sometimes Martin will say something that sounds more like an insult than advice, but as he explained, "It might not come out the right way all the time, but listen to the message, not the way it's delivered. I think it goes a long way with people, knowing that I have their back, no matter what."

Martin's team has made the playoffs in each of the past nine seasons. Another badge of honor. Last season, he could have sat out the postseason. His knee was aching. Instead, he went through a revolutionary knee therapy — postponing surgery — to get just healthy enough to play against Utah in the first round.

He played and then, upon meeting with doctors in the summer, "They told me that my knee had gotten worse from those six games we played in the playoffs," Martin said. He spent the summer and fall rehabbing, but he knew he made the right decision to help the team in the playoffs.

This summer, he'll be an unrestricted free agent, his seven-year, $90 million contract off the books.

Of where he'll end up, "If it's here (with Denver), great," he said. "I've been here seven years, I don't like moving, I don't like change. But it's a business, and I understand what it is. So we'll see. It's already April and nothing is in place."

Asked if winning is more important than signing for more money with a rebuilding team, Martin said: "Definitely, definitely. I don't deal with losing well. Losing in bunches, especially. I don't do that well. For me, winning is more important than anything."

Spotlight on Phil Jackson: All signs are pointing to this being Jackson's final season coaching, as he chases his fourth three-peat. And so, if Denver doesn't play L.A. in the playoffs, this could be the last time that Jackson faces Nuggets coach George Karl. The two have both been innovators (Karl with defensive switches, Jackson with the famed triangle offense) and, of course, faced each other in the 1996 NBA Finals and 2009 Western Conference Finals (both won by Jackson).

Notebook

Nuggets: Arron Afflalo (hamstring) and Al Harrington (Achilles) will be game-time decisions, while Chris Andersen (ankle) will not play. . . . Wilson Chandler, who is expected to start for Afflalo, has averaged 3.33 blocks per game in the past three games. . . . The Nuggets have won five of the last seven regular-season games against the Lakers. But Denver has only won three of its past 27 road games against the Lakers, dating back to the 1996-97 season.

Lakers: In the past five games, guard Kobe Bryant is averaging 31.6 points. . . . Los Angeles has won its past four games by an average of 17 points. . . . Forward Matt Barnes was suspended for Friday's game because of his altercation with the Mavericks on Thursday. But Barnes is expected to play against Denver today. . . . Said Karl of the Lakers: "If you beat them, you've got to beat them on their terms, play their game — and play it better than they do."

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